


And I'm shaking like a leaf

by icywind



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Clint Needs a Hug, Cuddling & Snuggling, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Phase Two and Three but not at all canon compliant, Steve is happy to provide it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 09:38:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5535005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icywind/pseuds/icywind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was stupid, really, but Clint always felt a rush of accomplishment when he was able to make Steve smile or laugh. </p><p>It probably had something to do with the ridiculous crush he had on him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And I'm shaking like a leaf

**Author's Note:**

  * For [phae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phae/gifts).



> For [phae](http://archiveofourown.org/users/phae) \- an absolutely amazing friend, person, and writer. I wish I could have given you more, and I hope you like it.

“So what’s the verdict, Doc? M’I gonna end up with actual super powers like the rest of you? Become my own personal night light? Grow an extra limb or two?” Clint asked as he pulled a blanket more tightly around himself and Bruce moved away to pick up the pad with his chart. 

Bruce smiled and shook his head in that shy little way he did when he wasn’t knee deep into something with Tony. “I’m afraid this particular dunk into the East River did not grant you with any powers. But since it could have given you any number of fun diseases-”

“Even half frozen?”

“Yes, even half frozen, it’s better to be safe than sorry. We’re going to put you on a course of antibiotics.”

“Yay,” Clint cheered sarcastically, waving his hand. From his spot near the door Steve let out a chuckle and Clint honestly cheered – albeit silently to himself. It was stupid, really, but he always felt a rush of accomplishment when he was able to make Steve smile or laugh. 

It probably had something to do with the ridiculous crush he had on him.

He’d idolized Captain America even before joining SHIELD, in that vague ‘he was a hero’ way, anyway. He hadn’t been in school all that long or often as a child but he’d seen a film strip or two. He and Barney had “found” comics while they’d been in the circus. What kid didn’t love a good guy punching Nazis and saving people?

And then he’d met Coulson, whose fannish glee and admiration for all things Captain America was infectious. It was little wonder really that by the time he met Steve, found frozen alive in the ice – how comic book were their lives, he’d formed a healthy crush. A crush that had only deepened when he’d actually interacted with the man, both in battle and outside of it. Not only was he a brilliant strategist and great fighter, but he was a good man with a wicked sense of humor. It was probably inevitable that Clint would fall swift and hard. Barney always said he had a thing for heroes (he probably hadn’t meant it like that, but, oh well).

And so, Clint flirted.

He always flirted, really - it was as natural as breathing to him - and it had taken some time but eventually Steve had gotten used to it. Occasionally he even flirted back – which Clint enjoyed even though it likely meant nothing. He’d seen Steve around Bucky. How he’d burned an entire organization to the ground for him. How he’d gotten into it with the government when they’d wanted to prosecute Bucky for things he had done as the Winter Soldier (which Clint had actually been all too happy to help him with given his own history with being brainwashed into doing shit he didn’t want to).

Clint couldn’t compete with that. That level of love and devotion. The only person who came close to feeling that way for him was probably Nat and he wasn’t sure even she could go that far for him. He wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of things.

Clint was a side character in the grand story of everyone else’s lives. He didn’t get the guy or the girl, and he might not get a happy ending, but he’d at least go out fighting and trying to do good and he was mostly okay with that.

“I can run down and fill that,” Steve offered, in reference to the prescription.

“You really don’t have to, I mean, it’s not that far and I’m good to go,” Clint said as he stood up. His legs betraying him immediately by shaking as a full body shiver hit him.

“You were saying?” Steve’s mouth quirked a little at the corners as he reached out to steady Clint, wrapping the blanket a little more snugly around his shoulders.

“Okay then, one of the pharmacists can run it up to me then,” Clint said as Bruce and Steve bracketed him on either side as they left the medical suite. “I’m sure you have better things to do.”

“Helping out a friend is not a waste of my time,” Steve said as they got in the elevator to head towards the living quarters.

“I want to do on record that I didn’t say that,” Clint replied, glancing up at the ceiling of the elevator. He knew he didn’t have to but it was habit.

“Duly noted,” Jarvis’s cultured tone replied. It was still a little weird to hear both him and Vision having essentially the same voice, but, he was glad they hadn’t lost the AI when he’d helped in creating the android.

“I know you well enough to know you were thinking it.”

“Captain Rogers does have a point, Mr. Barton. Your self-deprecation is well known.”

“Thank you, Jarvis.”

“You are quite welcome, sir.”

“Everyone ganging up on me – sheesh,” Clint groused good naturedly as he curled himself into a corner of the couch.

“Strange, isn’t it? Having people care for you,” Steve said as Bruce handing Clint a bottle of water and blister pack for the first round of meds.

“It’s a work in progress – still getting used to it.”

Steve and Bruce both squeezed his shoulder then went their separate ways after ensuring he had everything he could need for the time being. Bruce heading back to his labs and Steve heading down to the pharmacy and who knew where else. Despite his assurances to the contrary, Clint figured he probably had other things to do than just grab a script for him. He settled in with the remote, because while Jarvis could do everything for him, it was still deeply satisfying to control the remote and prepared himself for a long afternoon of quiet tv time. 

He wasn’t alone for long however, with Wanda entering the room and offering to make tea and then curling in beside him to watch some tv. She declined to join him in his blanket cocoon so he snaked out an arm to settle around her. He knew he was a poor substitute for her brother, but he tried to do what he could. 

“You are right, it is oddly compelling and…soothing to watch,” Wanda said as the dulcet tones of the narrator of How It’s Made streamed forth from the television as pencils, of all things, were assembled before them. It was one of Clint’s favorite things to watch to wind down post mission. The voice was always pleasant and the actions repetitive and easy – his mind never had to focus too hard.

The elevator dinged and Steve walked in, carrying two bags. Clint was pretty sure he imagined it, but, it almost looked like his shoulders drooped just a little when he saw Wanda there.

“Hey! I uh, I grabbed those meds for you. And – and it’s a little silly, really, but-” 

“Is that matzo from Benji’s?”

“Yeah,” Steve ducked his head just a little. “I thought you might like something to help you warm up.”

“You are a God among men,” Clint said, smiling wide and happy. Steve’s shoulders ticked up a bit as he responded in kind.

“You will have to excuse me,” Wanda said as she rose smoothly to her feet. “I just recalled I am to meet Natasha,” she pressed a kiss to Clint’s cheek and whispered “be well” then gave Steve a look Clint couldn’t decipher before heading out.

“Mind if I join you?” Steve stepped over, settling the bags down on the coffee table in front of Clint.

“Please,” he gestured, though it lost a bit of effect from inside the blankets.

“I’m sorry if I interrupted anything,” Steve offered, a little sheepish (so odd coming from a man that was usually so confident) as he removed the soup from the bag.

“Oh no, you’re all good. It’s pretty horrible that our unifying shared characteristic is that we’ve both lost our brothers, but there you go. We try to spend time together as often as he can – it helps you know? Having someone that knows how it feels.” He’d lost Barney a lot longer ago than Wanda had lost Pietro, but, it still hurt. Sometimes he was okay, and sometimes it felt like he stumbled over the pain like it was a pair of shoes left out at night. “At least, I hope it helps her – I know it must be difficult considering how she-”

“Hey, don’t go there, okay Clint?” Steve put a hand on his arm. “You both made a choice that day. Pietro was important to Wanda and probably many other people, but so are you. That wasn’t a numbers game. It wasn’t about who was more worthy of keeping their life.” He looked a little lost as he finished with “As someone once told me - allow Pietro the dignity of his choice.”

Clint nodded silently, taking a moment to find his voice. “I know – I’ll try.” It was some comfort at least that Wanda was not alone even though she’d lost her brother. The team had taken her in and accepted her as one of them. Clint had even dared to bring her to the farm where his sister-in-law - brilliant, beautiful, wonderful, Laura – had taken one look at her and somehow known just want to do and say. For better or worse, Wanda was an honorary Barton now.

“You really didn’t have to do this, you know,” Clint said, shaking off the feelings of melancholy and turning his attention towards the food. He opened the lid and inhaled deeply, just barely suppressing the urge to moan. Benji’s made the best matzo ball soup.

“I wanted to,” Steve smiled, opening his own. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but, you’re a pretty stubborn guy that doesn’t often let us help. I like doing things for you, Clint.” 

Clint had been about to make a crack about the pot calling the kettle black when Steve let out the ‘I like doing things for you’ line. His tone was casual – maybe too casual? – but the look on his face…

He was probably imagining things.

“I um…thanks.” 

The soup was delicious and warming and Clint found himself feeling quite content when he sat back after finishing it. He glanced over and noticed that Steve’s shoulders were a little hunched in and nearly kicked himself. Steve had been knocked into the water as well and for all his skills and abilities he was still human, it could have brought back memories of the ice. 

“Would you care to join me in my blanket cocoon?” he asked, in a rush of bravery. “I mean, I know your body recovers differently and all but-”

“Yeah, yeah I’d like that,” Steve smiled and shifted closer. There was an awkward moment when Clint unspooled the blankets and Steve tried to stay seated mostly upright. 

“C’mon Rogers, I can big spoon you,” Clint said, his voice sounding confident but his heart racing a mile a minute as he pulled Steve towards him. He breathed a silent sigh of relief when Steve eased back willingly, settling against him in a comfortable sprawl. Only to then change his mind and lean forward briefly to drape a blanket over their legs before settling back again, pulling one of Clint’s arms against his chest and settling his own arm over it and sealing them both under the blankets.

“Do you,” Clint cleared his throat; his voice was getting a little hoarse. Steve was a comfortable solid weight on top of him and suddenly he didn’t feel quite so brave anymore. “Do you want to do anything in particular? I mean – watch - watch anything in particular?” Smooth Barton. Real smooth. It was just – his lips were brushing against Steve’s hair as he spoke. His nose was filled with his scent. It was all he could do not to nuzzle into the spot where his neck and shoulder met and nibble.

“Nope, I’m good with whatever you want,” Steve replied.

Was he…was he stroking Clint’s fingers? 

“O-” he voice cracked and he had to swallow a few times to find it again. “Okay.”

Later, if you would have asked Clint what had happened in the episode they watched he would have had no idea because he spent the majority of his time chanting ‘do not get an erection, do not get an erection’ and trying not to shiver for reasons completely unrelated to the cold as Steve just idly played with his fingers and (seemingly) innocently brushed the thumb of his other hand over Clint’s thigh. If he was going for soothing, it wasn’t really working.

“Clint?” Steve asked as Clint was desperately trying to figure out how wood (ha ha wood) was going to be made into a gemstone. “Clint?”

“Yeah?” 

Steve shifted under the covers, letting go of Clint’s hand so he could turn to face him more properly. 

“Can I kiss you, Clint?”

“Yeah?”

Steve smiled at his befuddlement and eased himself around so he blanketed Clint’s body with his own – chest to chest this time. The initial brush of lips was perfectly chaste, as was the second and third and a giddy laugh escaped Clint when Steve brushed their noses together in an eskimo kiss before pulling back to look into his eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while.”

“Only that?” Clint smirked, bravery suddenly returned now that he knew this was actually happening. Laughter danced in Steve’s eyes and Clint only had a moment before he surged down to claim his mouth in a deep, wet kiss. Normally Clint hated being restrained in any way but he couldn’t help but moan as Steve pressed down against him, pinning him with his weight and taking what he wanted from their kiss. Never one to resist a challenge, Clint gave as he good as he got and soon enough they were grinding against each other and panting roughly when the kiss finally broke. 

“If you weren’t in danger of shivering for entirely the wrong reason I’d take you to my room right now, take my time undressing you, and take you apart,” Steve whispered as he mouthed along Clint’s jawline.

“That’s so not helping,” Clint whined and tried to buck his hips upward for more friction. 

“Excuse me, sirs, but someone will be arriving shortly in the elevator,” Jarvis interrupted and if an AI were capable of being apologetic, he certainly sounded so. 

There was a mad scramble to separate and distribute the blankets so that the two of them had at least one each to cover themselves. A cursory attempt to fix their hair and look more presentable was made and mostly succeeded. It would really depend on who came out of the elevator. Neither Clint nor Steve said anything or moved when the elevator dinged and Bucky Barnes arrived. He waved at them as he made his way to the kitchen, then stopped and glanced back.

“Working on that sexual tension, huh?” he chuckled gleefully. 

“How did you-?”

“You sucked a hickey into Barton’s neck, Stevie.”

“That’s covered up! I made sure.”

“It is. But you just gave away that you did it,” Bucky grinned and continued into the kitchen to grab a sports drink and two apples. “Remember kids, no glove no love!” and with that he vanished back into the elevator.

It was quiet enough to hear the sound of a pin drop for the next several moments before Steve and Clint finally took one look at each other and burst out laughing. That lasted for several minutes until finally Clint slumped against Steve and Steve put an arm around him.

“So…that happened.”

“Yeah, it did,” Steve pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“I guess that means you’re cool with it happening again?” Clint asked hopefully.

“I meant what I said earlier,” Steve replied. “I want you, Clint. And I want to spend time with you and get to know you too. Is that,” and now it was Steve’s turn to sound cautious and hopeful. “Is that okay?”

“It sounds like the best idea I’ve ever heard,” Clint replied. They shared another brief kiss, careful to keep it from getting too heated, and settled in to watch some more tv. They had all the time in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at [redsector-a](http://redsector-a.tumblr.com/) on tumblr.


End file.
